Portal:West Virginia

The West Virginia Portal

Panorama northwest, northeast and east from a ridge along West Virginia Route 42 between Elk Garden and Sulphur City in Mineral County, West Virginia (2016)

West Virginia is a mountainous, landlocked state in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast, Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. West Virginia is the 10th-smallest state by area and ranks as the 12th-least populous state, with a population of 1,769,979 residents. The capital and most populous city is Charleston with a population of 49,055.

West Virginia was admitted into the Union on June 20, 1863, and was a key border state during the American Civil War. It separated from Virginia and was one of two states (along with Nevada) admitted to the Union during the Civil War. Some of its residents held slaves, but most were propertied farmers, and the delegates provided for the gradual abolition of slavery in the new state constitution. The state legislature abolished slavery in the state, and at the same time ratified the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery nationally on February 3, 1865.

West Virginia's northern panhandle extends adjacent to Pennsylvania and Ohio to form a tristate area, with Wheeling, Weirton, and Morgantown just across the border from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Huntington in the southwest is close to Ohio and Kentucky, while Martinsburg and Harpers Ferry in the eastern panhandle region are considered part of the Washington metropolitan area, between Maryland and Virginia. West Virginia is often included in several U.S. geographical regions, including the Mid-Atlantic, the Upland South, and the Southeastern United States. It is the only state entirely within the area served by the Appalachian Regional Commission; the area is commonly defined as "Appalachia". (Full article...)

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The Fostoria Glass Company was a manufacturer of pressed, blown and hand-molded glassware and tableware. It began operations in Fostoria, Ohio, on December 15, 1887, on land donated by the townspeople. The new company was formed by men from West Virginia who were experienced in the glassmaking business. They started their company in northwest Ohio to take advantage of newly discovered natural gas that was an ideal fuel for glassmaking. Numerous other businesses were also started in the area, and collectively they depleted the natural gas supply. Fuel shortages caused the company to move to Moundsville, West Virginia, in 1891.

After the move to Moundsville, the company achieved a national reputation. Fostoria was considered one of the top producers of elegant glass. It had over 1,000 patterns, including one (American) that was produced for over 75 years. Showrooms were located in New York, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco, and other large cities. The company advertised heavily, and one of its successes was sales through bridal registries. Fostoria products were made for several U.S. presidents. The company employed 1,000 people at its peak in 1950. (Full article...)

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Location of Bluestone Wildlife Management Area in West Virginia

Bluestone Wildlife Management Area (also known as Bluestone Lake Wildlife Management Area) is a wildlife management area in southern West Virginia surrounding Bluestone Lake and the New River. The section of the lake from just upstream of the Bluestone River to Bluestone Dam is in Bluestone State Park; the rest of the lake in West Virginia basin comprises Bluestone WMA. All together, the WMA comprises 18,019 acres (72.92 km²) of land and water.

The wildlife management area is operated by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Section to provide hunting and fishing opportunities to the public and to protect the natural resources of the land. The land is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and leased to WVDNR. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various West Virginia-related articles on Wikipedia.

Racial plurality in West Virginia by county, per the 2020 U.S. census

Legend

Non-Hispanic White

70–80%

80–90%

90%+

(from West Virginia)

Image 2Percent of Americans living below the poverty line in each U.S. state, and the District of Columbia. West Virginia has one of the highest poverty rates. (from West Virginia)
Image 3Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, changed hands a dozen times during the American Civil War. (from History of West Virginia)
Image 4A slave woman tending to a white baby in West Virginia, 1865 (from West Virginia)
Image 5West Virginia population density 2020 (from West Virginia)
Image 61715 Nicolas de Fer map showing the Native American areas known as Tionontatacaga and Calicuas (from History of West Virginia)
Image 7John S. Carlile, a leader during the First Wheeling Convention (from History of West Virginia)
Image 8Votes by county in the October 1861 statehood vote (from West Virginia)
Image 9Shaded relief map of the Cumberland Plateau and Ridge-and-valley Appalachians (from West Virginia)
Image 10Seneca Rocks, Pendleton County (from West Virginia)
Image 11Overdose death rates in the United States (from West Virginia)
Image 12Thomas Lee, the first manager of the Ohio Company of Virginia (from History of West Virginia)
Image 13The Veterans Memorial Bridge carries US 22 from Weirton into Ohio. (from West Virginia)
Image 14The iconic New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville (from West Virginia)
Image 15The Linsly Institute building in Wheeling, West Virginia served as the state's first capitol building from statehood in 1863 until March 28, 1870, when the capitol was transferred to Charleston, West Virginia (from History of West Virginia)
Image 16Bituminous coal seam in southwestern West Virginia (from West Virginia)
Image 171751 Fry-Jefferson map showing early ferries and established colonial borders before the French And Indian War (from History of West Virginia)
Image 18Bluefield, a major center for coal mining, in 2014 (from West Virginia)
Image 19Map of Virginia dated June 13, 1861, featuring the percentage of slave population within each county at the 1860 census and the proposed state of Kanawha (from West Virginia)
Image 20State of Westsylvania proposed to the U.S. Congress (from West Virginia)
Image 21Köppen climate types of West Virginia, using 1991–2020 climate normals (from West Virginia)
Image 22Poster by Albert M. Bender, produced by the Illinois WPA Art Project Chicago in 1935 for the CCC (from History of West Virginia)
Image 23Turnout by county in the October 24, 1861, West Virginia statehood vote (from History of West Virginia)
Image 24Escaped slave broadside, Hampshire County, West Virginia, 1845 (from West Virginia)
Image 25A view of the New River in West Virginia, the world's third-oldest river geologically (from History of West Virginia)
Image 26West Virginia is situated in the Appalachian Mountains, bounded by Allegheny Mountains, Ohio and Big Sandy rivers, and the Cumberland Mountains. (from West Virginia)
Image 27Morgantown Personal Rapid Transit (from West Virginia)
Image 28Harpers Ferry alternated between Confederate and Union rule eight times during the American Civil War, and was finally annexed by West Virginia. (from West Virginia)
Image 29West Virginia Independence Hall, site of the Wheeling Convention (from History of West Virginia)
Image 30Spruce Knob (in the distance) is the highest point in West Virginia and the Allegheny Mountains. (from West Virginia)
Image 31Child laborer photographed by Lewis Hine in the coal mines of West Virginia, 1908 (from West Virginia)
Image 32Counties (in blue) approving Virginia's secession from the U.S. in order to join the Confederacy. (from History of West Virginia)
Image 33Saturday afternoon street scene, Welch, McDowell County, 1946 (from West Virginia)
Image 34The West Virginia State Capitol in Charleston is home to the West Virginia Legislature. (from West Virginia)
Image 35Thomas Lee, the first manager of the Ohio Company of Virginia (from West Virginia)
Image 36Packed circles diagram showing estimates of the ethnic origins of people in West Virginia in 2021. (from West Virginia)

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... that the Vulcan Bridge, a bridge in Vulcan, West Virginia, was constructed after the mayor requested financial aid from the Soviet Union?
... that Babydog is "a fixture in West Virginia politics"?
... that John F. Kennedy's pollster found many West Virginia voters concerned that a Pope in the White House would arrive by transatlantic tunnel?

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